The National Service for Agri-Food Health and Quality (Senasa) and the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG-SANTE) of the European Union agreed to unify the Integrated Health Certification Management System (SIGCER) and the Integrated Computerized Veterinary Commercial Control System (TRACES NT) for the issuance of health certificates with electronic signature for exports to the old continent.
The integration of both systems will come into effect on December 1, marking the start of electronic certification of all products and by-products of animal origin destined for member countries of the European Union..
Within the framework of this agreement, the president of Senasa, Carlos Paz, highlighted that "the decision allows us to improve the quality of the processes and the exchange of information between Argentina and the European Union. Senasa's technological progress represents a strategic axis for our management, it is a fundamental tool to deepen and diversify the economic and commercial ties of our country with the rest of the world and this step allows us to strengthen and ensure the guarantees of health, safety and quality of the products we export."
Regarding its launch, the National Director of Food Safety and Quality of Senasa, Alejandro Fernández, stressed that "the work carried out between the Directorate of Strategy and Risk Analysis and the Directorate of Information Technology with the TRACES NT unit of the DG-SANTE of the European Union, allowed the integration of the certification systems of both parties and in this way ensure the objectives set in due time. Together we managed to unify the systems that integrate all the operators involved in foreign trade. We are taking the first step with the fresh poultry meat sector.«.
This health certificate with electronic signature guarantees the veracity and originality of the document., which can be verified online by the health authority and by all actors involved in the transaction on the TRACES NT platform, which is a good sign of confidence for Argentina.
For his part, the Director of Information Technology at Senasa, Héctor Bilbao, detailed the benefits of this articulation: "We provide our users, in this case companies, with a system that issues controlled electronic certificates, allowing them to obtain information online and overcome all types of language barriers by facilitating access to information, strengthening security levels and reinforcing the transparency of the management of each operation. In this way, the EU, through TRACES, will be able to receive health certificates electronically in real time, optimizing trade."SENASA Press Release)
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